Reference soil Malaysia 57: Xanthic Ferralsol
Reference soil MY057: Xanthic Ferralsols
A deep, porous, well drained red yellow podzolic soil of sandy (clay) loam texture with well defined horizontation and weak structural development. The surface consists of a very thin rootmat (2 cm) with decomposed litter and some medium sandy loam,crumbly, weak subangular blocky, friable. In places the soil is compact and overlies relatively fresh pieces of adamellite (biotite granite and granodiorite; large round adamellite boulders with exfoliation appear from 128 cm onwards. The upper parts possibly contain colluvial admixture of metamorphic pellitic rocks. The area had once been cleared for shifting cultivation and faces now severe gully erosion (incisions of 15m of depth). The Gading series is physically a good soil but needs to be well fertilized for most crops. However, most of the series occur on steep land where surface erosion may be severe if the soils are exposed. (additional climatic data: days with precipitation >0,1 mm)